​Parents Are Hiring $250-an-Hour 'Coaches' to Make Their Picky Kids Eat

Got a picky eater? There's an expert for that. That's right, parents of French fry- and Goldfish-loving little ones are now hiring "picky eater coaches" to help broaden their kids' eating horizons. And as you may have guessed, like with all "parenting experts," picky eater coaches don't come cheap. For some, an hour-long consultation can cost up to $250, plus followup visits. And many coaches say they are able to resolve most instances of super picky eaters for the low, low price of $400.

As the mom of a potential picky eater in the making, the idea of having my daughter devour veggies, fruits, and quinoa every day is thrilling. But hiring a picky eater coach? Really?

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Understatement of the year alert: Parenting is hard. In between the snuggles and kisses and splishy-splashy bath times lie temper tantrums, giant messes, sleepless nights, and, yes, picky eaters. There seem to be more and more "parenting experts" every day -- baby sleep coaches, toddler behavior whisperers. And while I don't doubt these people are great at what they do, isn't the hard stuff part of parenting? A big part, actually? It's a learning experience for both the parents and the child. I'm not quite sure who really, truly benefits when the difficult aspects of parenting are outsourced. (Besides the person who's collecting the check.) Sure, it would be great if our kids all slept through the night, ate a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods, and never had temper tantrums, but we take the good with the bad when we become mothers and fathers, right?

From the sounds of things, one of the picky eater coaches' techniques is to mix familiar foods with unfamiliar ones and involve kids in the preparation of their meals. Of course, to each their own, but both of those things sound like something most parents would come to at some point during trial and error. Or via the other way most parents find solutions to their problems: From the Internet.